World's biggest HD video board under construction

NASCAR fans are in for a high-definition treat this year at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, where construction of a gargantuan 200-foot-wide x 80-foot-tall screen is underway. Billed as the world's largest HD video board, the structure will weigh 332.5 tons (665,000 pounds) and contain more than 9 million LED lamps when the switch is flicked for racing events in May.

Designed by Panasonic – a company that's no stranger to larger than life screens – the video board will be situated across from the start/finish line between turns 2 and 3 with the top edge stretching to 110 feet above the track.

Replays, leaderboard updates and interactive entertainment will be displayed in high-def (720P) resolution.

Construction crews have already trucked out 18,000 cubic yards of dirt and 3,000 cubic
yards of concrete in preparation for the board's 500,000-pound steel frame which will be held in place by 50-foot long concrete piers drilled down to bedrock level.

The video screen is slated to be operational for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 21 and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 29, 2011.